When Rosalyn Bennett joined the Chicago Force last season, she went to a local bookstore for help, where she bought Football For Dummies and similar books.
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Roz Bennett. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Force
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'In the beginning last year, I was confused. I didn't even know the football terminology,' said Bennett. 'I also was frustrated because I had to learn all of the plays.'
Well, her learning curve was quick.
By the end of the Force's 2007 campaign, Roz, as she's known, had earned the team's Offensive Rookie Of The Year award.
'I met one of the players [ before the 2007 season ] through a relative and my first reaction once I learned that, yes, it was in fact women's football was, 'You've got to be kidding! I've never heard of anything like that,'' Bennett said. 'I've been athletic my whole life and one who is willing to try new things, so I just figured I'd give it a shot and see if I could play.
'By the end of the [ 2007 ] season, it has been nothing but a positive experience. I've really gotten a lot out of this team.'
Bennett, 37, was born in Montgomery, Ala., but raised in south suburban Chicago. She graduated from Eisenhower High School in Blue Island in 1989, then graduated from Alabama State. She received her master's fegree from Lewis University in 2007.
She is now in her second year as dean of students at Dyett High School in the Washington Park neighborhood—and she's in her second season as an offensive lineman for the Force.
'As I started to work hard at it [ last season ] , started getting some repetitions and some playing time, it became a liberating experience,' she said. 'At the end of the season banquet, I was shocked that I selected as the Offensive Rookie Of The Year. Not in a million years did I think I would win that honor because I felt like I struggled throughout the year. But I always gave 150 percent.
'In the huddle, I always asked questions, and I know that at times the veterans would get frustrated [ with my multitude of questions, ] but I was like a sponge and was trying to absorb as much information as possible from everybody.'
For the 2008 season, Bennett is a co-captain.
'This year, I've been more of a mentor because I know what it was like being a rookie,' said Bennett, who was a standout prep softball player who also has played volleyball and bowling. 'Being named the [ Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2007 ] felt like I was being validated, getting a pat-on-the-back for a job well-done, like they were saying, 'We needed you, appreciated you and are honoring you.''
So what about the Dyett students? Do they know their dean is a football player?
'It's funny you ask that … maybe a few, but not many, because I think it would be very distracting. And, I don't like to mix my business with pleasure. This is just something I do as an outlet, something I enjoy doing,' Bennett said. 'If one of the students asked, I'd tell the truth, though.'
Bennett attends most of Dyett's football games, among other sporting events, and, yes, she isn't afraid to offer tips.
'Roz is so dominant on the offensive line, which is not part of football that the casual fan really takes notice of,' said Force teammate Linda Bache who also serves as the team's general manager. 'She gets in the trenches and does the dirty work. She is very aggressive. She comes off the ball like a freight train. She really drives people back.
'You look at film of games from last year and she basically was kicking butt every game. No one likes lining up across from her in practice; that's the best way to put it.'
